Inflatable Kayaks/canoes ?
Discussion
Want to get one next year for my narrow boat. Has to be inflatable as need to store it when not in use. Don't want a head shell kayak on the roof.
Anybody had any experience with them ?
Got talking to a chap who had a couple of ITIWITs (sp?) who thought they were quite good.
Some of the single person ones sound ok for small'ish people but I'm 6"2' so might have to go for a 2 person.
Anybody had any experience with them ?
Got talking to a chap who had a couple of ITIWITs (sp?) who thought they were quite good.
Some of the single person ones sound ok for small'ish people but I'm 6"2' so might have to go for a 2 person.
I'm after a small one man Kayak/canoe although I've no boaty experience at all I can't help think the inflatable ones would just be too light, would get blown around easily, sitting on the water rather in the water and wouldn't cut through the water like a proper canoe.
What's wrong with storing it on the roof or side of your boat, sounds like the perfect place to store one?
What's wrong with storing it on the roof or side of your boat, sounds like the perfect place to store one?
We got a cheap (£90-ish) Sevylor two-person inflatable canoe ('sit in' type with spray decks fore and aft) a couple of years ago for pottering about on rivers. For that it was fine, but two observations:
1) The cheap ones don't come with a skeg, but can be fitted with one. Get one - without it the problems mike74 mentioned (doesn't really sit in the water, very light) surface and steering it was tricky. It crabbed sideways rather than steered, especially in wind, and above anything more than a genteel slow paddling pace it began tripping over its own bow-wave and wanting to turn 180 degrees. Pop the skeg on and it became a doddle to handle; very stable.
2) The more expensive Sevylor's come with double-tube construction a bit like a tyre, so what you actually inflate with air is an inner bladder while the bit you can see is just a protective skin. Ours is a single-skin one like a lilo or kid's beach dinghy and we had a lot of problem with punctures since we launched from rough and brambly river banks and often carried the kayak (sometimes inflated, sometimes folded up in its 'backpack' form) some distance from the car to the river. If I was going to make long-term use of an inflatable and keep it on the rough-and-tumble of a narrowboat I'd think that paying out for a double-tube one would absolutely be worth it.
Eventually the inflatable got a puncture that proved impossible to trace (in the floor/keel section so as it gradually deflated it sagged in the middle with the bow and stern pointing out of the water like it had been torpedoed by a tiny U-boat...) so we got a solid-hulled plastic sit-in kayak instead. We have somewhere at home to store it but the only way to get it to the water is to load it onto my estate car. Doing that and getting it off again is a two-man job and it's only practical to carry it a short distance from car to water. A suitably rugged inflatable would be my preference since it's easier to transport and I could do it single-handed.
1) The cheap ones don't come with a skeg, but can be fitted with one. Get one - without it the problems mike74 mentioned (doesn't really sit in the water, very light) surface and steering it was tricky. It crabbed sideways rather than steered, especially in wind, and above anything more than a genteel slow paddling pace it began tripping over its own bow-wave and wanting to turn 180 degrees. Pop the skeg on and it became a doddle to handle; very stable.
2) The more expensive Sevylor's come with double-tube construction a bit like a tyre, so what you actually inflate with air is an inner bladder while the bit you can see is just a protective skin. Ours is a single-skin one like a lilo or kid's beach dinghy and we had a lot of problem with punctures since we launched from rough and brambly river banks and often carried the kayak (sometimes inflated, sometimes folded up in its 'backpack' form) some distance from the car to the river. If I was going to make long-term use of an inflatable and keep it on the rough-and-tumble of a narrowboat I'd think that paying out for a double-tube one would absolutely be worth it.
Eventually the inflatable got a puncture that proved impossible to trace (in the floor/keel section so as it gradually deflated it sagged in the middle with the bow and stern pointing out of the water like it had been torpedoed by a tiny U-boat...) so we got a solid-hulled plastic sit-in kayak instead. We have somewhere at home to store it but the only way to get it to the water is to load it onto my estate car. Doing that and getting it off again is a two-man job and it's only practical to carry it a short distance from car to water. A suitably rugged inflatable would be my preference since it's easier to transport and I could do it single-handed.
A friend let me use their Advanced Elements inflatable a couple of years ago on the Wye river:
One of these:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/ADVANCED-ELEMENTS-Advance...
Very sturdy and handled beautifully. Not cheap however!
eta: I'm 6"2' and rather heavy (120kg
) it was snug but held me fine
One of these:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/ADVANCED-ELEMENTS-Advance...
Very sturdy and handled beautifully. Not cheap however!
eta: I'm 6"2' and rather heavy (120kg
) it was snug but held me fineEdited by kieranbennett on Sunday 22 September 19:57
I'd have thought for flat sheltered water the Itiwit kayaks would be ideal. They won't be the most efficient but great for pottering about.
Wind can be an issue for inflatables, and the Sevylor Reef we have is a pain even with a skeg. It's also fairly low pressure in the tubes so they flex under you and bend in waves.
We also have a Gumotex Seawave which is an entirely different beast. It's made of the same stuff RIBs are, with proper valves. It's brilliant, solid, stable and easy to paddle, but not cheap. The wife and I regularly do 15k in it in the sea and have done 27k across the Solent to the Needles and back.
Wind can be an issue for inflatables, and the Sevylor Reef we have is a pain even with a skeg. It's also fairly low pressure in the tubes so they flex under you and bend in waves.
We also have a Gumotex Seawave which is an entirely different beast. It's made of the same stuff RIBs are, with proper valves. It's brilliant, solid, stable and easy to paddle, but not cheap. The wife and I regularly do 15k in it in the sea and have done 27k across the Solent to the Needles and back.
I have this.
Proper high quality, paddles well and is built pretty tough.
https://www.sevylor-europe.com/benelux/p-85-yukon....
Proper high quality, paddles well and is built pretty tough.
https://www.sevylor-europe.com/benelux/p-85-yukon....
I've got an Intex Challenger K1 and Challenger K2 and they are good fun but prone to puncturing, they are easy and cheap to patch up though.
They are ok for a mess about but doing distance on them is hard work.
They are very stable though and at no point have I ever felt like toppling even when deliberately rocking it.
Wind can be an issue but it all adds to the workout
I am thinking about getting a rigid kayak though as I know I will enjoy it more.
https://youtu.be/-Kx2l_0Luq8
They are ok for a mess about but doing distance on them is hard work.
They are very stable though and at no point have I ever felt like toppling even when deliberately rocking it.
Wind can be an issue but it all adds to the workout
I am thinking about getting a rigid kayak though as I know I will enjoy it more.
https://youtu.be/-Kx2l_0Luq8
Edited by dudleybloke on Sunday 22 September 21:34
Interesting stuff!
I was thinking we might get a couple of these for next year as we don't live far from the Severn and a couple of canals, thought it might be a fun thing to do with the kids. Budget would probably only stretch to the specials they do in Lidl/Aldi from time to time or something similar though. Worthwhile?
I was thinking we might get a couple of these for next year as we don't live far from the Severn and a couple of canals, thought it might be a fun thing to do with the kids. Budget would probably only stretch to the specials they do in Lidl/Aldi from time to time or something similar though. Worthwhile?
I have the Intex K2 mentioned earlier, it's a fantastic thing. Goes up in less than 5 minutes and comes down even quicker. Hard work compared to a proper kayak but they're always going to be. Fits in my Citigo comfortably so win-win.
My local river is very, very low this summer and I've grounded a lot but no punctures so far. It's incredibly stable too, my 4 year old comes out with me most times and I've no concerns whatsoever (he is wearing a life jacket).
Can fit the bag/pump, a cool bag and a 20l dry bag in with both of us no problems.
My local river is very, very low this summer and I've grounded a lot but no punctures so far. It's incredibly stable too, my 4 year old comes out with me most times and I've no concerns whatsoever (he is wearing a life jacket).
Can fit the bag/pump, a cool bag and a 20l dry bag in with both of us no problems.
Edited by ukaskew on Monday 23 September 18:48
I bit the bullet and bought a used Pyranha Master 2 yesterday and took it on the water for the first time this afternoon.
It's a different animal to the inflatable. A lot quicker in the water and is pretty stable too
It has a drop-skeg that aids tracking in a straight line but retract it and it will pivot round on the spot.
It's a different animal to the inflatable. A lot quicker in the water and is pretty stable too
It has a drop-skeg that aids tracking in a straight line but retract it and it will pivot round on the spot.
Gassing Station | Boats, Planes & Trains | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff